


Taking Care of Baby

by hetawholockvengerstuck



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Grubstuck, but mostly grubs, maybe some pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-11-28 22:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hetawholockvengerstuck/pseuds/hetawholockvengerstuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of half-killing Sollux, Eridan turns him into a grub. Unfortunately, magic tends to bounce. And while he may have saved his friends from Gamzee's rage fit, he's saddled them all with grubs to take care of. Oh, and the humans arrive a bit earlier than expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And That's How Babies Are Made!

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a prompt meme, but I wanted to make a whole huge story for it, so I decided to leave the prompt to the anonymous claimant and make a new story. Which I shouldn't do, because I should be writing Sglobe, Written in Stars, Eternal Hope, Genderbent Adventures, and Hetalia Hunger Games. I guess those are on hiatus for now.
> 
> Just kidding. Sglobe will keep running.
> 
> ALSO! In this canon divergence, none of the trolls are dead, they are all still in the lab. Aradia is still a robot and Gamzee is getting wound up by the fighting.

"Stop it! Eridan stop, you'll hurt him!" Feferi gripped her trident hard, her knuckles turning a lighter gray. She dodged another streak of white light as Eridan swept a spell in a crescent shape. 

"Then tell this guy to quit hangin' around!" Eridan yelled. Both he and Sollux stopped for a breather, staring daggers at each other.

The rest of the trolls were either huddling behind the horn pile or cowering on the other side, a pile of miscellaneous objects hastily created to act as a fort. On the horn pile side was Karkat, Equius, Gamzee, and Kanaya. Across the way, Nepeta had her head above the scalemates, Terezi's horns were slightly visible, and Karkat knew that Vriska was over there somewhere. Tavros was also trying to fit behind the makeshift fort, but nothing so small could hide his horns. 

Gamzee was shaking hard, and mumbling something under his breath. Terezi, Kanaya, and Vriska all had one hand on their weapons, ready to defend themselves if someone (most likely Eridan) got out of hand. But Karkat was a bit more worried about Gamzee. 

Aradiabot was on the other side of the lab, watching calmly. Equius was fidgeting next to Karkat, bumping him far too often, because he was worried about his precious robot. Karkat resisted the urge to hiss at the blueblood.

"You're getting tired, aren't you, ED?" Sollux said. "Why don't you jutht give it up?"

"You're just as slow, ya oversized insect!" Eridan retorted. "Sacks a shit like you don't belong at Fef's side!"

"You'll have to kill me if you want me to leave her alone," Sollux said.

Eridan pulled his wand arm back. "Then die!" And he arced it over, casting bright light right at Sollux's chest. Feferi screamed, but there was nothing she could do now.

The spell hit Sollux square in the chest, knocking him back, but instead of piercing through him, as it was supposed to, it sprang off into two branches (always with the duality, Eridan thought), and began to bounce around the room, reflecting off the metal walls.

The watching trolls scrambled to get out of the way. Karkat tripped over Equius's foot. Kanaya revved up her chainsaw. Terezi scrambled around on all fours, unable to see where the light was but knowing it would be bad news to be hit by it. Vriska shouted at Tavros, who let out a very high-pitched scream before ducking behind the pile and burying himself as best he could. Vriska had to dodge a rebounding spell and ended up knocking Terezi right in it's way.

"No!" Karkat yelled, but the sound was drowned out by his own body hitting the floor as the spell rebounded again.

The other branch bounced off Aradia and straight into Nepeta, and then across the room in a zig-zag pattern to hit the loudly honking Gamzee. When Kanaya tried to block it with her chainsaw, she got hit in the back with the other branch. 

And through it all, Eridan cowered in the middle of the room, nervously smiling at a frowning Feferi. When the chaos died down and there were a bunch of steaming, smokescreened lumps where the casualties had been, he said, "Oops."

Feferi was quivering with rage. "Oops? OOPS? Eridan, you dummy, look what you did! I told you, I told you to stop, but you wouldn't listen! YOU NEVER listen!"

She twitched the trident towards him, and Eridan gulped as he found the point mere inches from his throat. In desperation, he glanced around, hoping to meet a sympathetic eye.

Instead, his gaze fixed on the smoking mess of smashed computers where Sollux's body had connected with the machines before disappearing. There was something twitching in there, something yellow, crawling out of the leftover shirt.

"What the..."

His murmur drew everyone's attention to the moving shirt.

There were a few tense moments in which nobody breathed. Then a little head popped out of the shirt sleeve.

"Squeak?"

Eridan's eye twitched.

Feferi lowered her weapon.

Aradiabot blinked.

"Is that...?" Feferi started.

"I think it is..." Vriska said.

"Glub it," Eridan muttered.

The smoke was clearing away from the other clothing piles, and suddenly the moments of silence were gone.

"There's one over here!"

"Crap, don't sit on it! Look out!"

"I almost stepped on her..."

"Oh, dear."

"He's so CUTE!" Feferi cried, picking up the tiny creature. It mewled happily. "I've never seen a grub before! At least, not since I was one."

"Well, shit, now we've got a bunch a grubs." Eridan stood up and brushed himself off. 

"What do we do now?" Tavros asked.

Equius scooped up the little green one that was nibbling at his toe. "Nepeta, stop that this instant."

She squeaked. 

"Yes."

"Squeak!"

"Yes."

"Squeak!"

"You will stop, and that is final."

"I don't think we're, um, qualified to take care of grubs," Tavros continued.

Vriska poked at the grub that used to be Kanaya. "Yeah, and the only one who might have any clue what to do is a grub."

"We'll just have to do our best!" Feferi trilled. 

There was a deep rumbling, and Aradiabot looked up. 

"The humans are here. I shall go greet them."

They waited for her to come back. There wasn't really much else they could do.

"What's with the welcome party? Aren't you guys happy to see us?" Dave said as he entered the room, followed by Rose. He pulled up short when he saw the small creature in Feferi's hand. "What the heck is that."

"It's a grub!" she trilled. "Isn't he cute?" 

"Yeah, sure. Where's Terezi?"

Vriska held up a squirming teal grub. "Here she is."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"That's the thing that was telling me how to beat the game."

"Well, she wasn't this small before."

Rose walked around Dave. "I see. Magic gone wrong, hmm?"

Eridan glared. "An how'd ya know that?"

Rose smiled coldly. "I am a Seer of Light. I know these things. Aren't you the one who's computer I blew up?"

Eridan growled. 

"So." Rose pushed back her sleeves. "How do we go about fixing this problem?"

Everyone looked at Eridan. "Hey, you're the know-it-all. Why ask me?"

"I don't know everything. And you're the spellcaster, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I know how to reverse it. I didn't even mean to do that! I was tryin' to kill him!"

Feferi stroked the Solluxgrub's head, eliciting happy purrs that reminded Rose of a cat. "We'll just have to take care of them until we fin a wave to change them back, then!" She nuzzled the grub. "It'll be FUN!"

"No, it most certainly will NOT be fun," Vriska said. "Who wants to sit around babysitting a bunch of grubs when there's a flying dog that wants to kill us?"

"It's a good lesson!" Feferi skipped around the room, scooping up grubs. "Okay! Vriska, you'll take care of Terezi. This is your chance to make up for blinding her, so do it right!"

"But I..." Vriska began, but Feferi had moved on, leaving Terezi in Vriska's hands.

"Tavros, you hold on to Gamzee, okay? You guys are friends, right?" 

"Um, yeah, I mean..."

"Good! And Equius can keep Nepeta, of course. What aboat you, Aradia? Want to take care of Karkat?"

Aradiabot shook her head. "I would only crush him by accident. I am not meant to handle delicate things."

Feferi frowned in concentration. 

Rose spoke up. "I would be willing to help with Kanaya, if you'll teach me the right way." She nudged Dave. "And Mr. Strider would be happy to help, too."

"What?"

"Great! You guys are SOOO nice!" Feferi passed Kanaya over to Rose and Karkat to Dave. Dave raised the grub to eye level and frowned at it. 

"And Eridan and I can take care of Sollux."

"WHAT?! Why do I have to help?"

"Because you did this to him, so you have to take responsibility."

"But I tried to kill him! Do ya really want me lookin' after him?"

"You won't krill him, because if you do, you'll meet the business end of my trident!" Feferi grinned.

"Which end is the business end?"

She stuck out her tongue. "It's a figure of speech!"


	2. Bringing Home Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the grubs cause trouble and Feferi is maternal.

**~Be Dave~**

"Fuck!" Dave shook his hand in an attempt to dislodge the grub. "He's digging his claws into me again, Rose!"

"Try changing his diaper," she said, flipping a page in her book. Kanaya crawled onto the page, and Rose picked her up gently and moved her back onto the table.

"He doesn't have a diaper, Rose. Shit, he's drawing blood." 

At that, Kanaya crawled down Rose's arm and shuffled over.

"Rose, now Kanaya's drinking it! Why did you have to volunteer me?"

"It's good for you. Kanaya, dear, don't do that. Who knows where he's been."

"Thanks, Rose. Thanks a lot."

Dave pulled Karkat off his thumb and held him squirming by the midsection. He watched the painful little pincers flutter back and forth while the grub squeaked in protest.

"Dave, that's not how you hold a baby."

"I can't exactly coddle him, now, can I? If I get any closer he'll claw my hand off!"

"Be nicer to him. Maybe he'll reciprocate."

"Easy for you to say," Dave muttered. "You don't have Mr. Problem Child. Ow!"

**~Be Tavros~**

"Um, don't do that," Tavros said. He tried to extract Gamzee from the horn, but the grub just burrowed in farther. "Come on. What if, um, someone come by, and, um, they sit on your horn? You'll, um, go deaf, um."

He tried tipping the grub out, but little claws poked through the sides and gripped tight.

"Um, okay." _Maybe if I just leave him, um, he'll come out._

So Tavros put the horn down and waited.

**~Be Vriska~**

"Damn it, did you have to get into the chalk?" Vriska said as she filled a tub with water. The chalk-covered Terezi wandered towards the edge of the table. "No, come back here."

Terezi hissed.

Vriska picked up the grub and put her in the shallow water. Terezi squealed as if she were being squeezed. 

"Oh, shit!" Vriska yanked Terezi out. "Forgot to check the temperature! Sorry, I'll make it colder." She poured out the water and got some cooler water. "Here, how's that?"

An indignant squeak and incessant shivering.

"Damn it, why are you so picky?

It took eight tries to get the water perfect. Even then, Terezi put up a fight, hissing and splashing and wriggling away from Vriska's grasp as she tried to scrub the chalk dust off her charge. The water began to stain blue as Terezi's sharp fangs drew blood. 

Once Vriska was sure that Terezi was reasonably clean, she wrapped the grub tightly in a towel and emptied the water again. Terezi frowned, water dripping down her face.

"I'll dry you off, just give me a second!"

**~Be Equius~**

He hadn't moved in three hours. He was afraid he'd squish her.

After initially scooping Nepeta up and carrying her to his part of the meteor, he'd set her down and tried to figure out what to do with her. He avoided touching her, even when she wandered too close to the robot pile. But despite his best efforts, she'd somehow managed to climb up his arm, and now she was nestled in the crook of his elbow, sound asleep, with a cute little snot bubble growing and shrinking as she breathed. Equius had thought that only happened in silly cartoons. 

His arm was getting tired, though, and he needed a towel. And a toilet. He didn't want to stand up, because he might drop her. 

He would just have to wait until Nepeta woke up.

**~Be Eridan~**

Sollux was wailing loud enough to wake the whole meteor. Or at least, that was how it felt to Eridan. No matter what he did, the little yellow grub that was his enemy wouldn't shut up.

"Fef, you take him!"

"I'm getting food, Eridan! I can't hold him. Try playing peek-a-boo!"

"No way am I stooping to that level."

_Chomp._

"FUCK!" Sollux had chomped on Eridan's finger, _hard_. 

"Oh, you got him to quiet down! Good job, Eridan!"

"Just hurry up with the food." Sollux had begun sucking on Eridan's finger, and it was super uncomfortable. Especially because it was Sollux. "Is there anything in there that he can suck on?"

"That's a weird question!" Feferi poked her head out from the "kitchen", as the Rose human had called it. "Not that I know of--oh, how adorable!" Feferi brought her hands to her cheeks. "I have to get a picture of that!"

"No, please, just hurry up and make dinner."

"Smile!"

Before Feferi could take the picture, Tavros came clanking in, unsteady on his robotic legs. So unsteady, in fact, that he toppled over. 

"Um, sorry to bother you, but, um, I've kind of, um, lost Gamzee."

"What?" Feferi was horrified. "How did you do that?"

"Well, he was in one of the horns, um, and he wouldn't come out, so I, uh, thought maybe he'd come out on his own, um, if I left him in there. And I, uh, sort of fell asleep, and, uh, when I woke up, he, uh, wasn't in the horn anymore."

"Do you think he might be in another horn?"

"Uh, maybe, but there are a lot of them."

"Oh, no, what are we going to do?"

"You could always get Ara to scan the pile," Eridan said. He hadn't meant it, but Tavros perked up and righted himself. 

"I'll, uh, go do that. Uh, thanks, Eridan."

When he was gone, Feferi returned to the task at hand. "Smile!" The shutter clicked. "Oh, look at that! My boys are so cute!"

**~Be Tavros~**

Aradiabot finished scanning the horn pile and pointed. "He's in there, somewhere in the middle of the horn pile. He's about to tip out of one of the horns, so be very careful, or he might be crushed."

"Uh, is there any way to, uh, safely remove him?"

"No alternatives detected. He's asleep."

"Oh. Uh, okay."

Careful was not something Tavros was good at, but he was desperate to get Gamzee out of the horn pile. He carefully pulled horns away, but they were sliding. 

"Uh, would it be possible for you to, uh, float me up so I can, uh, work from the top of the pile?"

"Calculations say that this is a safe method. Hold on."

Tavros spread his arms and allowed Aradiabot to carry him up. Then, very carefully, he began shifting the horns.

**~Be Rose~**

Rose felt a tap on her arm and looked up from her reading. 

"That's beautiful, Kanaya!" she said. Kanaya had made a little grub dress out of the yarn from Rose's knitting bag, using her claws to weave the yarn into a sock with little pincer holes. The little grub squeaked with glee. 

Rose glanced behind her at Dave, who, now that she thought about it, had been mysteriously quiet for far too long. He was asleep, with Karkat curled up in his upturned palm. Rose giggled and wished she had a camera with her.

She finished the rest of the final chapter of her book and put it on the growing pile of completed reads. She was systematically going through every book in the extensive library, a handwritten letter translation from Feferi at her side to decode the books. She was getting quite good at reading Trollian.

So far, there was nothing at all to help her solve the grub problem. But she wasn't just looking for that. It was in the back of her mind, but she was mostly reading because she hadn't had a good book in ages. 

**~Be Tavros~**

"Almost there..." Tavros said. He was hanging upside down, Aradiabot gripping his feet, and straining towards the sleeping form of Gamzee, who was inches away from slipping into the oblivion of the horn pile. "Just a little lower..."

_Why do I have to be so short?_ Tavros thought. 

His fingertips were just able to brush Gamzee's hair. The little grub stirred, and slipped closer to the edge of the horn. "Little lower?"

He hit a horn by accident, and Gamzee woke up, rolled over, and fell between the horns. 

"No!" Tavros kicked out, forcing Aradiabot to release him and watch as he plunged after the screaming grub. She vaguely worried that Tavros might squish Gamzee.

"Are you okay, Tavros?"

A hand popped out triumphantly, holding a grub aloft. "Got him!" There was some fidgeting, and then, "But how do I, uh, get out?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that Tavros is slightly taller than Nepeta, so second shortest. Because his legs didn't grow after the accident, so he never got very tall.


	3. Mommy's Little Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly Feferi being a mommy. Very short chapter filled with cuteness.

"Hey, Feferi, can you watch Karkat for a while?" Dave asked. He dangled his hand, and the biting grub, in front of her. "I need a break from pain."

Feferi beamed. "Okay! Sollux and Karkat can have a playdate!" She scooped up Karkat and hummed as she carried him over to Sollux, who was rolling a ball around. "Go get your rest, okay? I'll keep an eye on them!"

When Dave had left, Sollux sniffed in Karkat's direction. Karkat squeaked and retreated a bit, but Sollux passed the ball over. Karkat pushed it back, and Sollux pushed it again. When Karkat returned it a second time, Sollux scooted over and squished his cheek up against Karkat's. 

Feferi pressed her own cheeks. Quietly, so as not to disturb the cuteness in front of her, Feferi reached down, pulled out her camera, and snapped a picture. 

She watched with motherly pride as Sollux used his growing psionic powers to float around the room, hovering near Karkat, as if waiting for his friend to join him. Karkat squeaked, and Sollux looked sad.

"Sorry, hun, Karkat can't fly like you!" Feferi said, plucking Sollux from the air. "Why don't you play on the ground for a bit?"

/////

When Dave came back, Karkat and Sollux were wrapped around each other, napping. Feferi hated to have to untangle them, but Rose had insisted that Dave get Karkat, so Feferi had to put up with Sollux crying as his friend was taken away.

"It's okay, honey, he'll come back another time!" Then she got an idea. "Wait right here!"

/////

"Fef?" Eridan called out. He had been on lookout, watching for Jack or any other potential enemy as they floated through space. With Rose on lookout duties, he could return to the area of the meteor that Feferi had insisted they move to, in order to better look after Sollux. He couldn't believe how seriously she was taking this. "I'm back!"

Feferi came bouncing out of the living room with her omnipresent camera in her hand. "Look at all the cute pictures I got!"

He really had no choice, so he looked at picture after picture of Sollux dressed up in tiny little outfits, which were usually only used on dolls. There were suits, dresses, masquerade costumes, and dozens of different shirt and pants combinations. One even had a little bow tie.

"He was so happy when Karkat came over to play, but then he started crying because his friend had to leave. So I played dress-up!"

"I see."

"Isn't he just the cutest thing? I think we should have all the grubs over tomorrow, don't you?"

"I think maybe ya need to take a break, Fef. We can't handle all those grubs. I almost lost Sol in the recuperacoon the other day!"

"You shouldn't have put him in there in the first place! He would have drowned!"

"I didn't know! I've never raised a grub before!"

From the other room, Sollux started crying.

"Oh, poor baby, I'm coming!" Feferi raced back to his side. Soon the wailing was replaced with giggles. Eridan followed Feferi a moment later.

Feferi was poking Sollux's little grub stomach and making him laugh and wiggle his pincers. She tickled him and he laughed even harder.

"Eridan, come play with Sollux!"

"No way! He's still Sollux, an he's still my enemy!"

"Eridan Ampora, you will come over here right now and play with Sollux!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Eridan looked down at the little yellow grub and poked it in the stomach. Sollux laughed with glee, then stared up at Eridan with his huge, adorable eyes and cooed.

"Aww, he likes you!" Feferi gripped Eridan's arm.


	4. The Terrible Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terezi and Gamzee get into trouble, and--surprise, surprise--it's up to Vriska and Tavros to clean up after them. Looks like Pupa and his pixie are back in business.

**~Be Vriska~**

"Stupid little grub, messing up everything and never listening!" Vriska muttered angrily. She stomped through the halls, following the trail of color. "What the bejegus has she gotten into now?"

_Munch munch munch._

Vriska entered a room and found Terezi curled up in a pile of crayons, some half-eaten, some whole. Currently, she was going to work on a red one. There was red wax all over the little grub's face and claws.

"That's the last time I take a nap," Vriska said. "How the hell did you even manage to drag all these crayons here?"

Of course, the grub didn't answer. She was too busy eating. Vriska began to wonder if she was truly going insane.

"I might as well be talking to myself," Vriska said--to herself.

She picked up Terezi and sighed dramatically. "I'm going to have to wash you again..."

Just then, Tavros poked his head into the room. He then proceeded to tip over. After face-planting, he held a fist up. "It's all okay! He's right here!"

Gamzee squirmed happily in Tavros's hand. Vriska wasn't sure why, but she felt a bit obscene watching this. Maybe it was just because it was Gamzee. That makeup really needed to go.

And...

"Did he get into the Faygo?"

"Yeah, uh, unfortunately. So, uh, can I borrow the tub?"

"What? No way! I need it! Look at Terezi! She's a mess!"

"But, uh, Gamzee's covered in sticky soda. He can't, uh, stay like that!"

"Well, tough nuts! It's my tub, and I have dibs!"

Tavros looked around. "Hey, where'd the grubs go?"

"Shit." Indeed the grubs had wandered off during the argument. "Come on, they can't have gone far."

Tavros slowly pulled himself up. "Shouldn't we, uh, split up? It'll be easier to, uh, find them."

"Oh, will you quit stalling? What if they get lost in the horn pile?"

"Oh. Uh, that would be bad, I guess."

///////

Vriska and Tavros searched every inch of the meteor for their grubs. Well, nearly every inch. They had yet to check Equius's room, or the hallway beyond it where Nepeta had set up her cave.

"Why would they be in there?" Tavros asked. "I wouldn't go in there."

"That's just because he hates you. Equius wouldn't hurt Gamzee. It's safe enough to pass through. I'll bet they made a beeline for the sugar cube stacks that Nepeta keeps." Vriska opened the door and, dragging Tavros, ran through the room to the door on the opposite side.

As they passed Equius, who was still sitting motionless with a sleeping Nepeta on his arm, Vriska shouted a hello. "Just gonna check Nepeta's room. Go back to whatever you were doing."

"Um."

"Not now, Equius!"

"If you are here on account of the highblood and the tealblood, I might be of some assitance..."

"Sorry, looking for--wait, you've seen them?" Vriska, halfway into Nepeta's cave, backed up and shut the door.

"Yes. They are in my shirt. It is getting quite uncomfortable. They have been fighting for about half an hour now." Equius was sweating profusely. "This is so lewd."

"What, the fact that you've got a highblood grub in your shirt or the fact that you haven't emptied your bladder or eaten anything for a day or two?" Vriska winced. "Now, I don't wanna have to do this...so I won't. Pupa, reach down Equius's shirt and get the grubs."

"WHAT?!" the boys yelled in unison.

"Look, a lady can't be expected to do something like this, can she?"

"Uh, but it's not, uh, really appropriate for a...lowblood like me to do that, right?" Tavros pulled the only excuse he could think of out of his proverbial hat.

"It's fine--"

"No, it most definitely is not, and I can not allow it," Equius growled. "I am very sorry, Vriska, but I am afraid the task falls to you."

"Oh gog." Vriska took one look at the sweaty, hulking troll before her and gagged. "I'm gonna regret this..."

Gingerly, and with much hesitation, Vriska reached down the front of Equius's shirt. She whined as she touched the sweat-covered torso. "Oh, yuck, yuck yuck yuck GROSS!"

"Manners, Vriska."

"Damnit, this is awful." She flinched as her hand brushed something slimy and smooth. "Please tell me that's a grub."

"It is a grub."

"Thank gog."

"Language."

"I'm not fucking swearing!"

Vriska wrapped her fingers around the grub and pulled it out. Gamzee wriggled a bit and pooped.

"Shit!" Vriska shoved the grub into Tavros's arms. "Can't you hivetrain him?"

"He doesn't really listen to me..."

Vriska reached in again and pulled Terezi out. "That's it. You are taking a bath, and that's final!" Vriska stood up and walked away, wiping her sweaty hand on the back of Tavros's shirt as she passed. "Equius, put Nepeta down and get something to eat. And take a piss, for gog's sake!"

"Language."

"Do I look like I care?"


	5. Baby's First Shitty Selfie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dave is a dork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this shitty chapter is so short. I just wanted to make sure you all got an update, and I needed to get this idea down before I forgot it. Again.

_**~** _ **Be Rose~**

"What exactly are you doing with Karkat, Dave?"

The flash on the camera went off for the fifth time, and Karkat covered his eyes again, trying to rub the glare out. 

"I'm taking selfies. Who else is going to document this moment?" Dave repositioned himself, trying to get a thumbs-up into the frame.

"And what, pray tell, is this momentous occasion?"

"Do you need an excuse to take pictures?"

"So there is no occasion?"

Another flash, another squeal. "It's been nearly four hours without Karkat biting me. I'm going for five."

"You won't make it if you keep that up."

"Pssh," Dave laughed. "Y'know, Rose, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this parenting stuff. Maybe I'll start him on dueling tomorrow..."

Karkat hissed and lunged for Dave's thumb, digging his sharp teeth into the flesh. Dave yelped and leapt up. "Gog dammit! Stop laughing, Rose! Get him off!"

"You asked for it, Dave. Now if you'll excuse me, Kanaya and I have some reading to do." Rose waved as she left for the library. "I hope your pictures turn out well."

"Yeah..." Dave turned the digital camera around. "You're kidding."

"What?"

"I was taking pictures throughout the whole thing!"

"Well, you'll have some selfies Karkat will like, then."


End file.
